March 17, 1999
Texas Baptist Forum
Forgiving Clinton
___I'm not a Bill Clinton fan by a long shot; I'm simply a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.
___Jesus commanded us to forgive those who ask for forgiveness, because Jesus forgave us on the cross at Calvary when we were not worth forgiving.
___Bill Clinton will answer to God eventually, either as a human being living on this earth or at death, when he stands beforeJesus.
e-mail marvknox@flash.net
___My concern for the average church-going Baptist is this: When are we going to start focusing on our individual sin and stop categorizing sin? Instead of butchering Clinton as well as one-another, when will we accept that we all are nothing more and nothing less than sinners saved by grace? Not one of us is any better or worse than our president when it comes to sin.
___When will we start praying for him and ask God to watch over him and his family, like the Bible commands us to do?
___None of us has any right to condemn Clinton until we get our "backyards tidy." I don't know many Christians who can claim to have done this satisfactorily enough to please God.
___Let's face it. None of us has it all together. None of us.
___ Rodney Goen
___ Greenville
Despicable
___I believe William Jefferson Clinton is as despicable as John William King of Jasper, who received the death penalty for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr.
___Clinton, thanks to the Senate, has put our nation in chains on the back of his deceitful and arrogant behavior, has decapitated the moral fiber of America and will drag this nation to its final death if Americans don't wake up.
___ Betty Neville
___ College Station
Persecuted church
___It would be difficult to imagine a church in America being persecuted more than has been the case with Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., home church of President Clinton (March 3).
___Sadly, this persecution is being done by people who call themselves "Christian."
___Pastor Rex Horne and the members of this church are to be commended for the way they have handled this onslaught of hate. If there were more Rex Hornes in America and fewer Jerry Falwells, the work of Christ would be greatly enhanced.
___ Carl L. Hess
___ Ozark, Ala.
Culture War
___Thanks for "Is America's cultural war over, or is the battle changing?" (March 3).
___As I see it, President Clinton will be a better man from now on. As my mama used to say, "Be sure your sins will be found out." His were.
___For many years, we've seemed to gauge our Christian values by material worth and power rather than what the Bible tells us Jesus taught.
___We either change our tactics or lose the value of being Christians, followers of and sharing the grace of Jesus Christ.
___ Erline Evans
___ Lubbock
Lift voices
___House Bill 623, which would restore to Texas parents the courtesy of knowing when their minor daughters are going to have abortions, is in the same State Affairs Committee that delayed it to the point of death in the last legislative session.
___Folks living in or near the district of committee Chairman Rep. Steve Wolens, D-Dallas, should contact him and ask for an early hearing.
___House Speaker Pete Laney, D-Hale Center, again referred this important legislation to a committee whose chairman is hostile to it. It might be good to let Mr. Laney know it is time for a fair and early hearing on this issue and to ask him to use his influence to expedite this process.
___I am sad that this kind of legislation has gotten killed quietly for so many sessions by a handful of men.
___ David Sweet
___ Buda
Pray to Jesus
___The recent 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision concerning prayer at school functions-- which said we are not to mention the name of Jesus--was very disturbing to me and many other Christians (March 10).
___I hope every Christian youth will violate this unjust ruling by declaring loud and clear the name of Jesus. After all, it is the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Many have died rather than deny that name.
___This ruling violates the very conscience of dedicated Christians. We have no choice but to pray in that name.
___Jesus said: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).
___As a pastor, I say to our youth, "Declare that name loud and clear, no matter what the consequences."
___ Shelby Bulla
___ Weatherford
Be reconciled
___On March 2, I attended the Reconciliation Forum meeting held at First Baptist Church in Howe. Weary from the years of being pulled in each direction by the extreme elements in our convention, I was uplifted and gratified to find an avenue for discussion of disagreements in a spirit of Christ-likeness.
___Obviously, not all of us who are called Southern Baptists see eye-to-eye. But I have always felt that most Baptists agree on the fundamentals of the faith. So why does it seem so difficult to talk with one another without name-calling?
___Would to God that there were more men like Bennie Slack who would stand for reconciliation in the face of criticism from both sides. I urge all pastors and laymen who love our convention to stand with him. When a forum meeting is held near you, make every effort to attend. These are perilous times. If we don't stand for reconciliation, we will find further division.
___I call on leaders of each side --Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Southern Baptists of Texas--to stop talking about each other and start talking to each other. For God's sake and his glory, be reconciled!
___ Greg Smith
___ Denison
Has God changed?
___"Fundamentalist, liberal labels won't last" (Feb. 24) quotes Cassidy Dale as saying, "Postmodern people have no interest in such lines of thinking or in those theologies."
___The article says postmodern people have an entirely different understanding of the world. It attributes to them a "new culture of religious thinking that has arisen in the 1990s." Dale says: "The postmodern mindset is extremely God-friendly and will be with us for a long time. ... Postmodern people are looking for community, stories and spirituality."
___On the other hand, Charles Colson says postmodernism is "a repudiation of all ideologies." Postmodern thought is not only a nonsensical cacophony of despair, it is a most dangerous way of thinking to both the individual and civilization.
___Has God changed his word? Do we need to present the gospel differently from the Apostle Paul simply because the world changes its "-ologies" to accommodate "every changing wind of doctrine"?
___"I wot not."
___ Charles Chamberlain
___ Hamlin
Praise for seminary
___I write in response to Jerry Barker's letter (Feb. 17) regarding Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I thank God for Southwestern Seminary. My husband received master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees there. His seminary education began the preparation he needed to face the joys and the difficulties that come to those we call pastor! The knowledge he attained there and the friendships we made there have sustained us through the years. His education did not stop at Southwestern Seminary; it only began there.
___The ministry is a time of lifelong education. I am a registered nurse by training. My preparation to practice the profession of nursing only began as I completed a degree at Dallas Baptist University.
___We have two children. I desire for them to have the most well-prepared educators to meet their needs in school. We all want the very best for our children. My question to Mr. Barker is this: Would he go to a doctor that was not a medical school graduate? Impossible, yes, and although an absurd question, it causes us to ponder. Why shouldn't we want the one who cares for our spiritual needs to be as prepared educationally as the one who cares for our physical needs?
___ Raynell Odom
___ Loveland, Colo.Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!